Maui 1031 Exchange Golf Course Living Kapalua Golf Villas to Beachfront Mahana at Kaanapali

Many Hawaii vacation rental buyers struggle with the internal conflict to purchase a direct oceanfront/beachfront condo or a non-oceanfront one. Clearly, there are a lot of important considerations to take into consideration. It’s tough to beat oceanfront but the cost/sq.ft. is considerably higher as are the nightly rates. You can get a lot more “bang for the buck” on non-oceanfront buildings so if size and budget is very important or you have concerns about sea level rise, perhaps something across the street from the ocean or a golf course fronting property might be right for you.

I have assisted many with the intricacies of this process and such was the case with my friends and client, Todd Hensley. Two years ago, Todd relocated to Maui from LA and I represented him on the purchase of his home in Kaanapali Golf Estates. Todd decided to further invest in Maui by picking up his first income producing property with buying a vacation rental condo at the Kapalua Golf Villas. Todd and his girlfriend always had dreams of owning oceanfront property here on Maui.

Above is the golf course, outer island, and ocean view from Kapalua Golf Villas.

About 6 months after owning the property, Todd decided that he wanted to pursue his dream of owning an oceanfront Maui Vacation Rental property. Inventory was very sparse at the time but I let Todd know that there was one absolutely perfect property on the market at one of my very favorite vacation rental properties, the Mahana at Kaanapali.

Todd followed my listing recommendations and we were able to put his property under contract immediately and closed 30 days later to an cash over asking price buyer. Once we put Todd’s property under contract, we were able to succesfully negotiate a purchase contract on Mahana 508 subject to his Golf Villa closing. About a month after the Golf Villa closed, Todd’s loan funded and he was able to close on Mahana 508. Our team worked diligently to transition the property from the previous management company to Hawai’i Life.

Although I didn’t represent the buyer on KGV #20T8, the Buyer elected to keep the property with us.

Mahana 508 Before Condo Refresh:

A Few Words from Todd Hensley:

“We had a condo in the Kapalua Golf Villas which had lovely views of the Kapalua Bay course and the ocean but really had our hearts set on ocean front. Fortunately, the market in Kapalua had increased to a point that the profits selling from selling it were enough to finally land the dream condo we found at the Mahana. Only problem was Uncle Sam was going to want his share. That would put us over budget for the Mahana property. … I recently did my taxes and got a virtual standing ovation from my accountant for the way the transaction was handled.
-Todd Hensley-

Mahana 508 Post Refresh

Below are a few shots of how this property looks now. Our team worked diligently with Todd, his girlfriend Autumn, and our network of contractors, our in-house professional design team, and furniture suppliers to create an absolutely stunning new offering shown below.

The Mahana at Kaanapali is the most spectacular oceanfront setting in all of Maui in my opinion. All of the units (studios, 1bd/1ba, 1bd/2ba, and 2bd/2ba are all direct oceanfront and have unobstructed 180 degree views of Lanai and Molokai island. Search all Mahana at Kaanapali Active Listings here 

The results of the hard work have been immediate as we have already earned four different 5 Star Reviews on the property since starting earlier this year. We already have over $60k on the books for the remainder of 2022 despite some ongoing substantial ongoing construction projects at the resort.